Zmanim According to Rav Nissim Kaduri and Maaseh Nissim
Maaseh Nissim preserves a Baghdad calculation tradition in the setting of Jerusalem.
The rav and his community
Rav Nissim Ezra Kaduri Chazan was born in Baghdad in 1891 and belonged to the senior rabbinic world of Babylonian Jewry. He moved to Jerusalem in 1951 and published Luach Olami in 1955. Later calendrical material was incorporated into Maaseh Nissim.
The method’s character
The day is intentionally asymmetric. Alot moves with daylight, preserving the Baghdad 90-proportional-minute tradition. Tzeit remains 27 ordinary minutes after sunset, reflecting the Ben Ish Chai’s description of Baghdad practice.
| Zman | Plain-language rule |
|---|---|
| Alot | One eighth of daylight before sunrise |
| Misheyakir | 60 fixed minutes before sunrise; strong but indirect historical evidence |
| Shema and Tefillah | Measured by proportional hours from Alot to Tzeit |
| Chatzot | Solar noon, never the midpoint of the extended day |
| Plag | 1.25 Maaseh Nissim proportional hours before Tzeit |
| Tzeit | 27 fixed minutes after sunset |